As far as I can tell, not a real field trial-wish I'd read reviews before signing up

1 out of 5,
reviewed on Sep 12, 2017

We got sucked into getting one of these batteries installed for a so called "field trial". I always wondered how they targeted us, but thanks to another reviewer (lyonwiss) I now understand how they got our address.
I started to get suspicious when, after filling out the form, we were contacted almost immediately to be part of the trial. And they wanted a large deposit (20%) up-front to "process the order". They then organised for the installers to come out and wanted payment in full before that happened. We were also told we would be given information about the trial, but the installers had no idea. I made part payment after the installers left and informed the office, via email that's what I had done. They then emailed back to encourage me to make the total payment by another method.

Apparently you are supposed to download an app and register so you can get the details and readouts from the unit. Bit hard to do that though when Solar Service Group won't send you the relevant info, despite repeated requests
I also asked a number of, what I thought were, relevant questions about the so called field trial - like how many people have signed up, how many are needed for the trial to be relevant and worthwhile, what the actual aim of the trial is and are our personal details kept private or sold on to a third party?

None of these have been answered, I was just directed to the website, which is just PR and answers none of these relevant questions

Now, I have no technical expertise when it comes to these types of units ...but as far as I can tell, this "field trial" appears to have been a way to get people hooked on what they thought was a half price deal...so my advice would be do your homework first.

Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Hi Lilly
Thanks for your feedback, we appreciate that you took the time to write it. I am sorry to hear that you feel our field trial is not legitimate. I can confirm for you that this is not t...
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Bad

1 out of 5,
reviewed on Aug 29, 2017

Don't fall for subsidized field trial.

Unsolicited letters sent to houses with solar panels (seen via satellite) inform you that you are the lucky few selected for a half-price field trial. You are to register your interest in finding out more details by giving your contact details on a website which looks genuine enough. But the website has little genuine information on prices, products, history and so on.

Next thing a sale person rings you up to tell you (what you already know) that the electricity grid is ripping you off, buying your solar electricity for peanuts during the day and then charging you several times what they pay you when you use their electricity at night, after sun goes down. Wow, batteries are the answer.

Then they offer you a system at "half price" in exchange for collecting and monitoring your usage for three years, including premium servicing. Sounds a good deal? Of course they tell you over the phone some details about Enphase battery in the deal, the monitoring electronics, the weather-proof casing etc. Even though I'm a trained physicist, I could not work out the details of how it works over the phone and assumed the deal may be just reasonable, worth seeing some details..

You have to put down about 20 percent deposit to be guaranteed a spot in the trial, which is in hot demand - hurry! They will send you all technical details and the contract once you are in the trial. Well the fantastic deal costs about $4,200 consisting of one 1.2Kwh (kilo watt hour) battery and monitoring electronics. Apart from the "premium servicing", the deal is no deal at all, the Enphase 1.2 kwh battery costs about $2,000 and it is totally inadequate. After installation, you would have to buy several more of those batteries at substantial cost (presumably from them).

The 1.2kwh lithium-ion battery has about 260 watt power enough to power two 100 watt and one 60 watt light bulb - cannot power anything serious, like a 2 kilo watt oven. There is enough stored electricity to power a 100 watt light bulb for 12 hours - pitiful amount of energy. My solar panels collect energy at an average of around 3.5kw and collects about 25kwh on a sunny winter's day. This battery stores less than 5 percent of that! How is that going to save me money?

At 260 watts of power, it takes about 5 hours of sunshine to fully charge the 1.2kwh battery. This means you can charge and discharge the battery only once a day. Assuming you discharge your battery at peak period, when electricity is most expensive (at night) and in Sydney, it is currently 27 cents per kwh, then you would save 32.4 cents per day! You would be saving at most $10 per month or $120 per year with perfect sunshine everyday!

The Enphase battery has a 10-year warranty giving you at most a saving $1,200 before it dies. Spending $4,200 for a benefit of $1,200 saving, you've got to be a moron? Solar Service Group (SSG) is looking for morons. Initially I withdrew this review after SSG gave my deposit money back, on the basis that it is impossible to agree to a contract without seeing all the details. My conscience has got the better of me - I need to help others.

Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Hi Lyonwiss
The Solar Service Group Field Trial is a legitimate offer made by the Solar Services Group. The purpose of this exercise is to collect energy data from the participants to demonstrat...
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Solar Service Group
posted on Aug 30, 2017

I'm technically qualified. It makes no sense to claim two cycles per day. Do the maths. At near peak power (<260w), it takes about five hours to charge the 1.2 kwh battery (assuming full capacit...
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Please see the response from Enphase in regard to your statement.
"Thank you for your feedback. The Enphase Home Energy Solution is for homeowners who want to optimise their energy and maximise...
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Promises Promises

2 out of 5,
reviewed on Sep 08, 2017

I enlisted the services of Solar Sevice Group earlier this year, initially for an assessment of my existing 16 panel system. Upon reading their report and also the suggestion to install Enphase batteries in order to optimise my solar system, I committed to their proposal.
Needless to say, full payment was required by the technician on the day to work was undertaken. The installer was efficient to the best of my knowledge and when he realised that he was missing a component that was to be supplied, he assured me that he would contact Head Office and have the problem resolved promptly.
That was five months ago and still no resolution despite multiple promises from "customer service". All I require is what I have paid for, no more no less.
Do not trust this company and it is off to Fair Trading for me.

Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Hi Chris
I am sorry to hear you've had issues with your installation. Can you please supply me with your order number so I can investigate the situation and have someone call you to have your in...
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Unscrupalous Marketing Campaign

1 out of 5,
reviewed on Nov 30, 2016

I received a letter from this organisation. The letter was alarming. Stating all sorts of threats and dangers exist with owning solar systems and implying that bad things will ensue if I did not contact them so they could sort it out. I sent the letter to the Office of Fair Trading and to the ACCC. I was advised that such letters are unlawful and should be ignored. They advised that any people who receive similar letters should approach them so that action can be taken.

March 7th 2017 Update: Breached by the ACCC

Well clearly the ACCC disagrees with you. I received a letter from the ACCC that clearly outlined the actions they have taken. The company was breached by the ACCC for deceptive and misleading conduct.

Comments

Field Trial? Really?

1 out of 5,
reviewed on Sep 26, 2017

Congratulations reading this review before signing up and avoiding this con just saved you thousands. If however, like me, you've already signed welcome to hours on hold on the phone and ignored emails asking simple questions. If $4k is not a lot of money to you then the pre install and install service is great...read all the 5 star reviews!!!what's not taken into account is life after the installation, its not so good ...really..."we're experiencing a high volume of calls" wears a bit thin after a couple of months. Plus it appears I probably paid twice what I should have to shave a fraction off my power bill:sad but true. I was then offered an extra battery for $2500 to help shave another few bucks off my power bill(what a joke!). My advice is to move on,there's worse things in life than blowing a few grand and the Enlighten ap is fun for us oldies to play with anyway.

September 28th 2017 Update: Got my bill saved $100

I actually have had a power bill since installation unlike the 4 or 5 star reviews and found it saved just under $100 this sunny quarter. $400/year saved means 10 years to break even and that's if there's no hassles and lots of sun.

January 1st 2018 Update: Have not received service promised

No one has checked our solar system despite paying $800 Platinum Service Fee now our whole solar system has stopped working. The 1.2kw battery has not helped save on electricity costs much, if at all. I will change this post if Solar Service Group live up to their name and honour their contract not just flip me another email promise.

Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Hi Silversurfer, thanks so much for the feedback, and our apologies on the service you have received after install, that's certainly not up to the level we want people to receive. Call you please e...
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Solar Service Group
posted on Sep 27, 2017

All I wanted was to get the service inspections I was made to pay $800 extra for so that my concerns would have been attended to not just emails telling me technicians will reply(never happened) or...
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Hi Silversurfer, we have tried numerous times to contact you to remedy this issue however have not received your contact details to follow this up. Please contact us on 1300 40 41 42 with your orde...
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Still waiting?!?

1 out of 5,
reviewed on Jun 19, 2017

I couldn't get anyone to contact me by phone or email. I have left messages and emailed them from their online query form but 2 weeks later I'm still waiting. You can take the "Service" out of solar service group.

Comments

We are terribly sorry that you have not had someone contact you. This is not up to our company standard. I have found your enquiry and I have passed it on to a sales consultant to call you asap.

Kind regards
SSG

Solar Service Group
posted on Jun 19, 2017

Since writing this review SSG have contacted me and I have finally got some answers to my questions. It is a shame that some people have to go to this length to get a reply and you are correct, the...
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Rip-off! Do not trust this company

1 out of 5,
reviewed on Jun 14, 2017

Paid $297 call out fee to assess the problem with my solar system. Was promised a diagnostic report. Almost 3 weeks later and I still haven't received the report. The technician took about an hour and did a thorough check, but only diagnosed. Almost 3 weeks later still haven't received the promised report.
It was a waste of $297. Other technicians will come out for free to diagnose and quote for a repair.
Do not waste your money with Solar Service Group, Box Hill. Would give it 0 stars if I could!

Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Hi, thanks so much for the feedback and I apologise for the experience that you have had as this is not up to our usual standards. Could you please email hello@solarservicegroup.com.au or reply bel...
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Comments

Glad we could rectify the situation for you! Again, apologies for the poor service you received. Thanks for bringing this to our attention as we have now reviewed and updated our process to ensure this doesn't happen in the future.

Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Hi Francis, I apologise for the experience that you have unfortunately had with regards to your installation. Could you please email hello@solarservicegroup.com.au or reply below with your order number so we can ensure that this has been rectified.

Didn't install product correctly

1 out of 5,
reviewed on Sep 29, 2017

I got a battery installed on the 21 8 2017 and it has not been connected so I am saving on electricity and it is now the 28 9 2017. They good at taking your money but not turning the battery on straight away. There putting the blame onto someone else that connects it to the grid. What a joke one very unhappy customer.

Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Hi Loza, thanks so much for the feedback, and our apologies on the service you have received,. Call you please email hello@solarservicegroup.com.au or reply below with your order number and I will ...
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Dont know what they are talking about

2 out of 5,
reviewed on Jul 04, 2017

I was coerced by a fast talking sales person on the phone into a enphase battery. They mentioned that its "a battery" and "compared to tesla" no mention of size on the battery, after installation I have found out it is saving me no more that $36 per year. Misleading and a rip off. Will take nearly 100 years to pay back and only warranty for 10 ???? Only positive fast installation (i guess it stops people cancelling after finding the truth) Would not recommend.

Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Dear David,
We are very concerned with how you arrived at this figure and what you have stated in your post, as this is simply not possible. We have investigated internally and you should be sa...
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quick reaction

5 out of 5,
reviewed on Apr 05, 2017

After I wrote review on last Saturday, Solar Service Group takes quick action this time. Yesterday (Tue) a technician came to my home, explained the problem for me, and fixed it. The battery is normal now. This time, I give Solar Service Group 5 stars. But, I think if Solar Service Group can improve the communication with their customer and provide more information of their product would be better for their business.

Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Hi Yun. thank you for taking the time to provide us with your positive feedback, it is much appreciated. I am glad to notify you that since April we have sought to improve our level of communicatio...
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Would not given a written quote/undertake

2 out of 5,
reviewed on Jan 15, 2018

We received an unsolicited letter invitation to join a ‘data collection trial’. After a longish phone discussion and a phone quote I asked for the details of exactly what was being offered in the package. I was informed “we don’t do it that way”. At that point we agreed to stop. If a company is not repaired to provide a written undertaking, I’m not prepared to take them on trust.

Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Hi Garry, we are sorry to hear that you are unsatisfied with your recent experience with us. You will find on the written invitation the details of the products that are included as part of this pa...
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Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Hi Terry, thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. We apologise for the unsatisfactory experience that you have received. If you could please email hello@solarservicegroup.co...
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Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Hi, thank you for the feedback and our apologies for the service that you have received as this is not up to our usual standards. Could you please email hello@solarservicegroup.com.au or private me...
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Solar System Service

5 out of 5,
reviewed on Oct 03, 2017

I have a total of 17 solar panels on my roof which have been there for about 6 years. They have never been serviced. After seeing an ad for SSG I decided to have my panels serviced for the first time. It took a while for an appointment but on the due day the tech arrived. He explained what he was going to do and went ahead. After a short while I decided to ask some questions about my service with which he replied to me in layman's terms, things I did not totally understand about Solar energy etc. I also asked whether a Battery would help my situation. He told me that with the feed-in tariff I am receiving it would not be worth the cost and would not benefit right now. Once the feed-in tariff decreases in a few years, then the need for a battery. The tech was totally honest with me, and very polite and professional. I did have to wait a while for the on-site report to be sent but after a quick phone call it arrvied by email that same day. I have called SSG a few times and have had some difficulty getting through but just tried later and got straight through. All in all a great experience.

They are there for the customer not for there pocket!

5 out of 5,
reviewed on Sep 26, 2017

We have signed up for the battery trial. The people we spoke to were easy to understand, patient, polite and willing to answer all questions we asked and if we didn't understand anything they were happy to explain in a more simplified form. They were not pushy or rude but happy to let us decide in our own time. We are eagerly awaiting the installation of our batteries. Would be happy to recommend them to others.

Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Hi Marj, thanks for such a lovely review! I am glad to hear your journey with us has been a pleasant one! I will pass the positive feedback on to the team. I hope the rest of your experience with u...
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Enphase

4 out of 5,
reviewed on Aug 30, 2017

We had an Enphase Battery installed.
From first contact to installation was only a couple of weeks.
There was a little communication problem to start with, but after this was sorted out, all our problems and concerns were solved and we now have a unit that is working well.

The easyest way to ease power bill shock.

5 out of 5,
reviewed on Jul 12, 2017

We had a battery,(1.2 kw) enphase, installed to our existing solar array. The hole process was a simple one phone call, no fuss and three weeks later, the job was done, and on time. The system has worked faultlessly since, to that end, we are going to have a second battery installed next week. THE SOLAR SERVICES GROUP, are a very easy and great company to deal with, and would recommend them to anybody, contemplating upgrading there system.

Comments

Solar Service Group Official

Hi Bob, thank you for your review and for taking the time to write it. We're glad that you have found the whole process easy, if you ever find anything that you think that we could improve upon please let us know.

Questions & Answers

Your positive reviews appear day after day, yet the negative review stated you had difficulty getting trained people, how were you able to install some very quickly but left others waiting months? What battery capacity costs the quoted $5289???

Hi Andy, thank you for submitting your question. Solar Service Group installs various products and perform different services this requires varied levels of skills and training, as you can imagine depending on the product our Technician is installing would factor in how much training is required for the installation to be completed to high standards.
Like any other industry involved in home works, non-metropolitan customers can be found to experience slight delays due to the distance of the actual site to the Technician's area. You will find that we have recently trained and brought on many Technicians to ensure that customers do not experience delays in their service.
In terms of your quoted $5289, for us to accurately give you information on the products included in the price we will need to have a quick phone discussion as there are various campaign bundles at the moment. Please don’t hesitate to contact us on 1300 40 41 42 for a no-obligation quote/discussion. Thanks, Donna
Customer Service

Solar Service Group
replied on Feb 22, 2018

Hi
My name is James
I received a letter from your firm suggesting Vic Solar battery subsidised field trial
I have tried to put an enter code you gave on your website, but i cannot open it
Please contact me on jamesnnhuong@yahoo.com.au. Ia m interested in participating the program. I am thinking about putting a battery at my home in Mount Elisa.
Wait for your reply. Thank you
James

Thanks for your enquiry. I have sent your email address on to our sales team. Someone will be in contact with you shortly. Alternatively, you can call us on 1300 40 41 42 anytime.

Solar Service Group
replied on Aug 23, 2017

I received two letters from your company today claiming to offer subsidised solar battery storage. Saying almost half the total cost - but no examples given. Sorry, but I'm wary after claims from companies for different things, giving similar "discounts". Why can't you give cost examples openly? I won't be calling, or registering interest, without at least some idea.

Thank you for raising your concerns.
Please see the link below to our website with further information about the letter you received.
http://solarservicegroup.com.au/blog/solar-service-group-field-trial/

The main reason we don't disclose our prices for this is because only a select number of homes have received this letters, and not everybody is eligible to participate. Because we are heavily subsidising our standard list price for participants in the program (in turn for participants providing feedback and information on their energy consumption), hence we cannot disclose the price to the general public.

Please feel free to call us on 1300 40 41 42 and one of our Solar Specialists will be able to provide you with more information and a no obligations quote if your are eligible.

Kind regards
Megan
Solar Service Group
Customer Service

Solar Service Group
replied on Aug 03, 2017

Rang them today to get an idea of which batteries and size they were offering - both Enphase (come in 1.2V packs so can be expanded aas required) and LG Chem 6.5V. I
I'have a 5kW PV panel system and over the last 2 years since installation I have been monitoring solar PV output, consumption and export to the grid so and how much could potentially store. While if I had a battery system, in the sunnier months possibly not need to draw from the grid, but not so in winter. Remember that a battery warranty is only for 10 year and the storage capacity diminishes to around 65% over that period. However my calculation suggests that based on current power costs and FIT it would take nearly 20 years to cover the cost of the battery. The 6.5 V LG Chem batttery was being offered at $11.75 installed which was even greater than that for a Tesla Powerwall 2 (13.8V) for which another company quoted $11.5K installed.Therefore I might have been interested SSG offer if the cost was around $6.5K